"Treason" In Turkey: Asking for Peace

The Turkish state authorities have made it clear that calling for an end to state violence in Turkey's Kurdish regions is "treason." This means that in Turkey, requesting peace and political equality between Kurds and Turks is illegal.

The 1128 original signatories of the "Academics for Peace" declaration have been subjected to sustained attacks and threats from the Turkish government and nationalist groups. In the week after the publication of the declaration, at least 33 academics were detained by police. Some have lost their jobs. Associate Professor Battal Odabasi from Istanbul Aydin University, for instance, was fired for supporting the petition. At least 29 academics have been suspended from their jobs at universities.

On January 11, 2016, a group of academics and researchers from Turkey and abroad called "Academics for Peace" signed and issued a declaration entitled, "We will not be a party to this crime." In it, they criticized the Turkish government for its recent curfews and massacres in Kurdish districts, and demanded an end to violence against Kurds and a return to peace talks.

"We declare that we will not be a party to this massacre by remaining silent and demand an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the state," the declaration said.

In total, 2212 academics and researchers from Turkey, and 2279 from abroad, signed their names onto the declaration.

Some of the signatories of the "Academics for Peace" petition in Turkey pose in front of a banner reading, "We will not be a party to this crime." The 1128 original signatories of the declaration have been subjected to sustained attacks and threats from the Turkish government and nationalist groups.

The Turkish President and PM immediately targeted the academics who signed the declaration. On January 12, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said,

"Unfortunately, those fake intellectuals say that the state is carrying out a massacre. Hey you, fake intellectuals! You are dark people. You are not enlightened. You are dark and ignorant to the point that you do not even know where the southeastern or eastern regions are [in Turkey].

"Today we are faced with the treason of the so-called intellectuals, most of whom get their salaries from the state and carry the ID card of this state in their pockets.

"You are either by the side of the nation and the state or by the side of the terrorist organization. We will not get permission from those so-called academics. They should know their place."

Immediately after the speech, Turkey's Council of Higher Education (YOK) also issued a statement: "The declaration issued by a group of academics that describes our state's ongoing struggle against terror in the southeast as 'massacre and slaughter' has put our entire academic world under suspicion. ... This declaration cannot be associated with academic freedom. Providing the security of citizens is the primary responsibility of the state," it said, adding that all rectors and an inter-university council would soon meet to discuss the issue.

Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu also joined in, saying, "It is an irrational declaration. They [the academics] will be ashamed when they read it once more. It cannot be evaluated within the scope of freedom of expression."

Ever since, the academics have been under serious political, legal and social pressure. The 1128 original signatories have been subjected to sustained attacks and threats from the Turkish government and nationalist groups as well as double investigations -- administrative investigations by the universities they work for, as well as legal investigations by state prosecutors.

They are being prosecuted for "insulting the Turkish nation, the state of the republic of Turkey, Turkey's parliament, government and judicial organs" (Turkish penal code: Article 301) and for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" (Anti-terror law: Article 7).

In the week after the publication of the declaration, at least 33 academics were detained, and then released after prosecutors took their testimonies.

At least 29 academics have been suspended from their jobs at universities until their investigations are finalized.

Some have actually lost their jobs. Associate Professor Battal Odabasi from Istanbul Aydin University, for instance, was fired for supporting the declaration. Odabasi was first exposed to an investigation by the university and was told to withdraw his signature. When he did not, he was dismissed. "So they essentially told us to choose between our bread and our honor," said Odabasi. "I chose my honor."

Some pro-government newspapers also targeted the signatories. The newspaper Yeni Akit, for instance, wrote: "This is the full list of the academics that signed that declaration of treason."

The newspaper continued telling the authorities to "Fire these men!" and calling the academics "perverts with diplomas," "whores who call Muslims 'sons of bitches.'" The newspaper also called the academics "gay-loving," and "Armenian-lovers." The academics sought legal help and demanded that the reports that included threats and insults be blocked to the public. An Ankara criminal court rejected the demand. The court said that the reports and expressions were within the "freedom of the press."

Several universities across Turkey have on their official websites showed extremely negative reactions to the academics who signed the declaration; some even called them "traitors" or "terrorism supporters" and emphasized that the universities support the military operations of the state.

The rectorate of Abdullah Gul University in Kayseri, for instance, demanded that Professor Bulent Tanju, who signed the declaration, resign. The head of the Turkish nationalists in the city affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) referred to Tanju and other signatories as "barking dogs," and in a public declaration, threatened him. The prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Tanju, but not against those who threatened him. His alleged "crime" is "inciting the population to enmity or hatred" and "openly insulting state institutions." (Turkish penal code - Articles 216 and 301)

Some academics withdrew their signatures after receiving threats on campuses or on social media.

The offices of two academics -- Kemal Inal and Betul Yarar -- from the Department of Communication at Ankara's Gazi University, were marked with red crosses by Turkish nationalist students. Notes saying that "We do not want the academics that support the PKK at our university" were left at their doors. Inal said he withdrew his signature after violent threats from students and even a colleague.

The newspaper Agosreported that academics in smaller cities have been under enormous pressure from their universities as well as the public. The academics in Samsun, for instance, had to lock themselves in their homes for a while. Those in Yalova say they are scared of using public transportation and those in Bolu say they are scared of parking their cars in secluded places.

Some of the academics were also targeted by local media. Arin Gul Yeniaras, a lawyer offering legal support to the threatened academics, told Agos that "a local newspaper in the town of Yalova, for instance, published the names and photos of the signatories, and made remarks such as 'The rector is still silent; the citizens are uneasy' in an attempt to make the rector take action against the academics. After that, the rector declared that the university launched an investigation against the signatories."

Ramazan Kurt, a lecturer of philosophy at Erzurum's Ataturk University, sought help from the Erzurum branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD).

"On the same day, the Grey Wolves [a Turkish nationalist organization] made a call at the university to stage a march against me. I filed a criminal complaint against them and demanded security. It was on that day that I learned that I was suspended from my job. They organized a massive march, saying 'We do not want a terrorist lecturer at our school.' I also learned that they came to the door of my office and swore the oath of the Grey Wolves. No one from the university called me to support me."

On January 15, Kurt was detained and interrogated at the anti-terror branch of the local police station. His lawyer said he was accused of "making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization," "inciting the population to enmity or hatred" and "publishing the documents of a [terrorist] organization." He was released on the same day, but banned from travelling.

In an interview with Dicle News Agency (DIHA), Kurt said that when he asked the Erzurum police for a security guard after the attacks, "a police officer there threatened me, and said: 'If you know that signer, I will shoot him in the head'."

"After I saw the attitudes of my colleagues," he said, "there was no point in staying." As he had no safety, he said, he left the province.

The detentions of academics continue. On January 29, five academics in the province of Bolu, who signed the petition in solidarity with three colleagues who had been taken into custody earlier for signing the declaration, were also detained after house raids. Their homes, cars and offices were searched, and the copies of their computers and telephones as well as some of their documents were seized by police. The academics were released after the police took their testimonies.

"The academics who exercised their freedom of thought and expression by signing this text that states a wish for peace have been targeted and exposed to insults and threats for days," said a recent press release from the academics.

"As of January 18, investigations have been launched against 1128 signatories in accordance with the Turkish penal code and the anti-terror law.

"Among our colleagues there are those who have been detained, banned from going abroad, exposed to administrative investigations, fired or suspended from their jobs. We find all of these things unjust and unacceptable."

In the meantime, the journalist Nurcan Baysal, based in Diyarbakir, reported on January 22 that the bodies of two Kurds, Isa Oran and Mesut Seviktek -- murdered during a curfew and their bodies left in the street for 29 days -- were finally allowed to be retrieved.

Oran's father, Mehmet Oran said,

"I went to the morgue. My son's head was not recognizable. It had been burnt -- as if a chemical substance had been spilled over it. He had been disemboweled; his intestines were lying outside his body. The rest of my son's body was all in pieces as if chunks of meat had been ripped out of him by an animal. They had torn my son into pieces. I was only able to recognize my son from his arm."

Mesut's brother, Ihsan Seviktek, said:

"My brother had already fallen a martyr with bullets to his head and chest. But they [Turkish soldiers or police] then shot hundreds of additional bullets into him. His face became unrecognizable. Why mistreat a dead person to such an extent? The Kurdish issue will not be resolved like this."

As the Turkish state authorities and university administrations accuse intellectuals of being "traitors," scores of Kurds have been murdered by Turkish armed forces in Kurdish districts under curfew. Dead bodies of many Kurds are still rotting in the streets and waiting to be retrieved.

At least 224 Kurdish civilians lost their lives between August 16, 2015 and February 5, 2016, according to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV). Forty-two were children, 31 were women, and 30 were over the age 60. The districts of Sur, Cizre and Silopi have been under an uninterrupted military siege and assaults for two months. Eight people were killed by security forces shooting arbitrarily in streets close to curfew zones during peaceful protests against the curfews.

The Turkish state authorities have made it clear that calling for an end to state violence in Turkey's Kurdish regions is "treason." This means that in Turkey, requesting peace and political equality between Kurds and Turks is illegal. Apparently, the only way to be a "Turkish patriot" or "a good citizen of Turkey" is openly to support the murders of Kurds -- or at least be silent about them.

Uzay Bulut, born and raised a Muslim, is a Turkish journalist based in Ankara.

Comment on this item

11 Reader Comments

Fear! The government fears the truth and free speech, and as a consequence creates fear in its population, ie dictatorial control!

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Daryl Bulkley • Feb 14, 2016 at 16:50

Killing the academic, mentally, socially, or physically, not to mention spiritually always indicates the primary leader of a country is descending into the 'game' of authoritarian rule.

What to do? How to defend those who desire a greater, inclusive and humane country?

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Ben Hendriks • Feb 14, 2016 at 14:40

Can anyone explain why the Turks want to govern those disobedient Kurds? Is not there a more profitable way to spend their money?

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Lawrence Gilbert • Feb 14, 2016 at 13:33

How our government can support a government like Turkey that jails academics for having an opinion on the slaughter of Kurds is beyond me, and I hope others. This dictatorship must be an object of scorn no matter the cost.

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Jeff Page • Feb 14, 2016 at 11:49

This is a typical response from the leader of a predominantly Muslim country. Not prepared to accept criticism of any description from any sources. The intellectuals want an end to the murder by the Turkish government of the Kurds. The reason is simple, the Kurds want independence from a state that is saying one thing and doing another! What a statement from the Turkish President and PM! This is a country that the EU has apparently made a deal with, worth billions, in order to stop the flow of 'refugees' leaving Turkish shores to get to Europe. The Turks haven't bothered to stop any at all. In fact, many Turks have instead started businesses selling inflatable boats, or actually piloting them for cold hard cash, across the Med. They cannot be trusted, but fools such as Frau Merkel believe that the Turks will honour their word to stop the flow. How naive is that? The Turks have taken the money, laughed behind the EUs back and banked the money. The Koran has many detailed accounts of what a Muslim can do to deceive the 'unbelievers', and it doesn't take much to realise that they have no intention of stopping anything or anyone. They want to see Europe flooded with Muslims, it's their unarmed soldiers just walking into the towns and cities of the 'infidel' without firing a shot! Worst of all is the fact that silly people such as Frau Merkel see all of them as 'refugees' fleeing warzones, when we all know that, that is definitely not the case. Hopefully, the politicians will wake up and see what the Turks are doing and put an end to their country ever becoming part of the EU. The last thing we need now is another 80 million Muslims with free movement across Europe.

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Solomon Balas • Feb 14, 2016 at 10:18

Turkey steered off Attaturk's path, is sliding dangerously down to a dark abyss under clouds of tyranny and autocracy. Students, with their lives in front of them must decide their future: Justice and freedom or autocracy and tyrany

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Vivienne Leijonhufvud • Feb 14, 2016 at 09:05

Academics waste too much time in their ivory towers to see the truth under their noses. Intellectuals are just this, no concept of reality of the 21st Century and the impact of Islam and Erdogan's insane desire to re-establish the Ottoman Empire. There will not be peace while Erdogan runs Turkey ask any fool!

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Mike Briggs • Feb 14, 2016 at 07:48

... for the US and what is left of Western Civilization to sponsor the creation of an autonomous nation of Kurdistan in the Kurdish majority areas of: Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey?

Simultaneously, Turkey needs to be drummed out of NATO and heavily sanctioned by the West for it's Pogrom against the Kurds. And the Kurds need to be armed to defend themselves, because in so doing we do the right thing for the Kurdish people, while we enable the only viable people, currently willing and capable of being 'Boots on the ground', against ISIS.

Turkey has more in common with Iran than it does with any of the NATO countries, especially under Erdogan, ... who needs to be gone. Our linkage with Turkey as Erdogan makes a total mess of relations with the rest of the Middle East and Russia needs to end very quickly in the first term of the new US President in 2017!

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Gregory Bigelow • Feb 14, 2016 at 07:27

It amazes me how weak and cowardly Erdogan and all his cronies are. It also is the same for all those in positions of authority in this country who have kept silent concerning the butchery of the Kurds. SHAME on Erdogan and the people of Turkey and SHAME on those in this nation and for that matter all nations for not standing up and stopping this butchery.

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dm Gregory Bigelow • Feb 15, 2016 at 00:52

Surrounding nations which have sat around and watched the slaughter of the Kurdish people need to take a long hard look at themselves. It is beyond belief that nations are allowing, NO! sitting back and watching the mass murder of thousands.

Erdogan, politicians, sadly elected leaders of people! are without morals. They are as bad as the Nazi party guys. It is indeed brave that the intellectuals are taking a stand, but fear that such activity will do nothing except to attract the ire of the Erdogan Nazi's.

The only positive thing that one can say about the Turkish regime, is that it cannot last. A regime as bloodthirsty as this one will be slaughtered itself. What comes after may not be any better, but its seems to be the evolutionary procedure of the 21st century.

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Gregory Bigelow dm • Feb 16, 2016 at 14:03

It is imminent that Edergon & Turkey will themselves reap what they have sown. A law in nature none of us can hide from. They too will be slaughtered.What follows I can assure you; for most it will be most excellent.

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